Kris Letang and the Pittsburgh Penguins don't know, one way or the other, when the star defenseman will return from a stroke. He hopes that happens this season.

Letang, speaking to the media for the first time since his condition was disclosed on Feb. 7, said that he's taking it "day by day" and will have more tests in the next 2-3 weeks, but that doctors told him he should make a full recovery.

Kris Letang (AP Photo)

"He's working out. He's active. He's normal," coach Dan Bylsma said.

All told, that's good news — especially considering that Letang's wife found him on the floor of their home the morning of his stroke. After that, he still flew to Los Angeles for the team's West Coast road trip, which is when doctors sensed something was wrong.

"The day before, I was totally fine," he said. "Then, I woke up the next morning and it went like this."

Asked whether he was unconscious when his wife found him, Letang said, "No. I was just not able to function."

"Certainly, my family is really worried — that was a difficult part to manage, when you see your mom crying, or your wife."

Letang is on blood thinners and has a congenital hole in his heart that may or may not have caused the stroke. He's still dealing with symptoms stemming from the stroke itself.

The 26-year-old was a Norris Trophy finalist last season. He has 10 goals and 18 points in 34 games and signed an eight-year, $58 million contract extension in the summer.

From a hockey standpoint, Pittsburgh has managed without Letang because of the emergence of rookie Olli Maatta as a top-four defenseman, the continued growth of Matt Niskanen and a good amount of organizational depth at the position.

The biggest problem: Simon Despres, one of the team's top trading chips, took Letang's place in the lineup, and Pittsburgh may need him for the rest of the season, rather than flipping him for help up front.